Automatic gasoline dispenser



April 7, 1931.

c. w. DAVIES, JR

AUTOMATIC GASOLINE DISPENSER Filed 'DeC. 29, 1927 Patented, Apr. 7,1931- cnmns w. navnis, 1a., or

NT. OFFICE MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA AUTOMATIC GASOLINE DISPENSERApplication filed. December 29, 1927. Serial No. 243,225.

This invention relates to a dispensing device and particularly to adispensing device for liquids. As is well known gasoline is nowdispensed in very many places, for use in automobiles,'and one use ofapplicants device is for automatically dispensing such gasoline. Thereare many places and gasoline stations where it is not profitable to payan attendant to be constantly at the station. At 7 such plates,- it isdesirable to have some automatic r coin controlled dispensing means sothat t e customers can secure the desiredc amount of gasolinewithout'theservices of an attendant.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a simple andefficient mechanism by means of which an operator can secure a certainamount of the gasoline or other liquid I upon the deposit of a suitablecoin. It is another object of the invention to provide a liquiddispensing apparatus comprising a container, a inotor-operatedmeans forsupplying liquid to said container, and a coin mechanism for operatingsaid motor and the dispensing of the liquid from said container. It ismore specifically an object of the invention to provide a liquiddispensing appa-, ratus comprising a container, means for chargingliquid thereinto actuated by a motor, a liquid dispensing meansconnected to said container, a valve controlling said dispensing means,together with a coin controlled mechanism for starting and stopping saidmotor and controlling said valve.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views and in which Fig. 1 is a viewin side elevation of the device, certain partsbeing broken away andotherparts being shown in vertical section;

Fig. 2 is for the most part a vertical section through a coin controlledmechanism, a small portion thereof being shown in side elevation; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, as indicatedby the arrows,

Figs. 2 and 3 being shown on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawin a device is shown comprising a' liquid container5. While this container may take various forms 55 and be made of variousmaterials, it prefer-- ably is made of transparent material such asglass, and in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, it is shownas a cylinder having top. and bottom portions 5a and 5b to respectively.Said container is also shown as provided with a gauge strip 6 on whichare marked numerals indicating certain units of volume, as for instance,gallons of li llldr Container 5 has a conduit 7 leading rom q the bottomthereof, a portion of which is formed as a valve seat and provided witha closing or shut ofivalve 8, said valve having an operating rod securedthereto which extends through the packing flange 9 and is connected by asuitable coupling 10 with another operating rod 11. The conduit 7 has adis pensing hose 12 connected to its lower end which is of the type nowcommonly used in gasoline stations. The container 5 has'75 a float 13therein from which extends upwardly a rod 14 disposed centrally of saldfloat, which rod extends through the top 5a and has a threaded upper endextending through an aperture in a lever 15. Said rod 14 so is providedwith nuts 16 at either side of the lever 15, whereby the end of saidlever is adjustably connected to said rod. Lever 15 is pivoted at itsouter end to a lug 50 on the top 5a, and has pivotally connectedintermediate its ends the upper end of a downwardly extending rod 17,which rod extends into a casing 18 and has its threaded lower endextending through a latch lever 19 disposed in said casing and pivotedat one end to the end wall of said casing. The latch 19 has a downwardlyextending tongue or hook portion 19a thereon, for a purpose to be laterdescribed. A supply pipe 20 communicates with the bottom of container 5,and is connected to the outlet of a pump 21 shown as of the rotary type,the inlet conduit 22 of said pump being shown as extending downwardly,and this will be in communication I with a suitable storage tank orother supply 1 of soline. The pump 21 is shown as direct y connected toan electric motor 23.

side thereof. This slot is provided for theinsertion of a suitable coinand casing 18a will contain a coin-detectin means. Any

. suitable and known form 0 coin-detecting means may be used, and asthis forms no part of the present invention, the same is notillustrated. The casing 18 has a substantially cylindrical portion ortube 180 therein, having disposed and slidable therein a plun er member24, which plunger has one end. t lelBOf closed by the plate 24a having aprojection 24?) thereon extending through a slot 18d in the upper sideof member 180.

The casing 180 has a slot 18h extending transversely thereof at itslower portionand substantially throughout 180 thereof. The projection246 has secured thereto one end of a tensile spring '25, the other endof which is secured to one side of a flat conduit 18c ex-'- tendingupwardly from member 180 into the casing 18a. Said conduit 18c has aslot 18f cxtendin therethrou h, through which the coins wi pass from t ecoin detector 18a, if they are good. The slot 187 terminates orcommunicates with the portion 180 directly at the end of the plunger 24opposite plate 24a, which end of the plunger is open. The

-" member 24a has secured therein one end of the rod 11 having securedthereto a collar 26, and a compression spring 27 is disposed betweensaid collar and plate 24a. The rod 11 extends through a head 28 closingone end of the tube 180 and also extends through one end of the casing18 at the outer side of which it is connected by coupling 10 to the rodsecured to valve 8, as already described. The member 180 has a contactmember 30 at the bottom thereof, connected to a conductor 31 and saidmember also has another contact i plunger 24 to engage the contact 32.The

mem er 18a is somewhat reduced in bore at its other end and has anotherblock33 secured therein in which is carried a contact member 34 havingsecured thereto a conductor 35. Member 33 also carries a resilientcontact member 36 adapted to be pressed into engagement with contactmember 34 and a conductor 37 connects the contact members 65 .36 and 32.Another conductor 38 is shown,

extending between conductors and 31.

18 houses a coin-controlled- 'er 41 engages contact 36 and Conductors 35and 38 are shown as extending through a bushin 39 disposed in the bottomof casing 18 and conductors 38 and 31 are also shown as extendingthrough a bush ing 40 disposed in the bottom of casing 18. Another(plunger 41 is disposed in the forwarden of memberfllSchaving a reducedportion 410 at its rear end. The lunger 41 is connected to a push 'rod42 havmg a knob 43'at its outer end. A tensile sprm 44 is connected atone end to rod 42 a jacent plunger 41 and at its other end to the end of-a hollow casing or shell 45 threaded into the portion 180. The plunger41 is shown as having a forwardly extending stri 41?) at its upper side.A casing 46 is provided, ex

tendlng from casing 18a to the top of the container 5, and enclosinglever 15 and rod 17, and a casing 47 extends from casing 18 to thebottom of container 5, enclosing members 10, 7 and 11.

In operation the mechanism in casing 18 will normally occupy theposition shown in Fi 2. Spring 25 will retract plunger 24 an rod 11 willthus be retracted and valve 8 will be open. When a customer desires tosecure gasoline, he will place a coin of the proper denomination intothe slot 18?). If the coin is good, it will pass throu h the coindetector in casing 18a and will rop down through slot 18; into positionin front of pllunger 24. The customer now pushes in on ob 43 inaccordance with directions, and the reduced portion 41a of the plunger41 engages the coin 50 and said coin and plunger 24 will be pushed tothe right as shown in Figs. 1 an 2 against the tension of spring 25,When plunger 24-reaches the end of casing 180, the projection 24?) willengage the tongue 19a 0 lever 19 and cam the same up, it being notedthat the projection 245 has a convex surface at its top forward edge.Latchlever 19 thus engagesprojection 24b and plunger 24 islocked in itsadvanced position. When plun er 24 reaches its advanced position, thecom 50 drops throughslot 18k and it will be received incasin 18 or someother coin receptacle. The bloc 240 at this time engages contact 32 andmoves the same into engagement with contact 30. The operator newreleases knob 43 and rod 42 and the same are retracted by spring 44 tothe posi' tion shown in Fig. 2. In this osition plungolds the same inengagement with contact 34. A circuit is thus closed for actuating andstarting motor 23. The conductors 35 and 38 passing through one of thebushings 39 constitute the conductors extending to the source of currentand the conductors 31 and 38 passing through bushing 40 extend to themotor. When plunger 24 is pushed to the right, valve 8 is also moved toclosed position or to the position shown in Fig. 1, and is held in thisposition as long as longas plunger 24 is certain distance, it willactuate lever 15, moving upward rod 17. The rod 17 when. elevated,raises lever 19 and releases the projection 2412 so that spring 25 thenretracts plunger 24, allowing contacts 32 and 30 to separate, thusbreaking the motor circuit. The motor 23 is thus stopped and whenplunger 24 is retracted, valve 8 is opened. The gasoline will now bedispensed through conduit 7 and hose 12, and will be directed into thestorage tank of the automobile. It will be seen that if the rod 42 ispushed inward when there is no coin in casing 180, the plunger 41 willmerely enter the plunger 24 and the latter will not be moved. Theprojection 41b prevents a coin dropping into the rear of plunger 41. Thelever 15 in float 13 will be adjusted inaccordance with the cur rentprice of the gasoline, so that the desired amount will be dispensed inaccordance with the coin deposited.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a verysimple and e cient liquid dispensing apparatus, and one which isoperated and controlled by a coin. The operation of the device isentirely automatic after the coin has been deposited, and the operatorpushes in on the knob 43. The proper amount of the gasoline is dispensedand the apparatus immediately brought into position for a subsequentoperation. The

parts of the device are quite few and simple and there is little or nochance for any trouble to occur in the structure or opera.- tion. Itwill readily be seen that the device has a high degree of utility forthe purpose intended.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, de-' tails, arrangement and proportions of. the parts, withoutdeparting from the scope of applicants invention, which, generallystated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects aboveset forth, in the novel parts and combinations of parts disclosed anddefined in the appended claims.

, What is claimed is 1. A liquid dispensing device having n combination,a container, a dispensing means connected thereto,'a valve for closingsaid dispensing means, means for supplying liqj uid to said container, amotor foractuating said last mentioned means, a circuit for said motor,a manually movable member, a spring holding said manually movable memberin normal position a pairof contacts closed by saidlatter memberwhen innormal position, a plunger adapted to be moved by said manually movablemember when a coin has been deposited, means for closing said .valveoperwith said first-mentioned contacts to close' the said circuit, meansfor holding said plunger in position with said valve closed, and meansoperated when a certain supply of liquid is receivedinsaid container torelease said plunger, open said circuit and open said valve.

2.. A liquid dispensing device having in combination, a container forreceiving liquid, a dispensing meansconnected thereto, a valve forclosing said dispensing means, means for supplying liquid to saidcontainer, an electrically operated means for actuating said lastmentioned means, a circuit for said electrically operated means, amanually movable member, a member adapted to be moved to a certainposition by said manually movable member to close said valve upon the'deposit of a suitable coin, means for holding said last mentionedmember in said position, separate sets of contacts acted upon by saidmanually movable member and the member moved thereby, respectivel forclosingsaid circuit, and means for ren ering the last mentioned one ofsaid members inoperative and opening said circuit and said valve when acertain amount of liquid has been received in said container. v

3. A liquid dispensing device having in combination, a container forreceiving liquid, a dispensing means connected thereto, a valve forclosing said dispensing means, means for supplying liquid to saidcontainer, electrically operated means for actuating said last mentionedmeans, a circuit for said electrically operated means, a manuallymovable member, means for holding said manually movable member in normalposition and returning the same to normal position, a pair of contactsincluded in said circuit closed by said manually movable member when innormal position, a member adapted to be moved by said manually movablemember when a suitable coin has been deposited, but which is nonmovableby said member when a coin'has not. been deposited, a pair of contactsincluded in said circuit'closed by said latter memberwhen moved by saidmanually movable member said latter contacts acting with said firstmentioned contacts to close said circuit, means actuated by said lattermember for closing said valve, locking means for holding said lattermember inposition with said valve closed, a float in said container, andmeans actuated by said float for releasing said locking means, and meansfor retracting said last mentioned member to normal position to separatesaid last mentioned pair of contacts to open said circuit, and foropening said valve.

4. A liquid dispensmg device having in combination, a containerreceiving liquid, a

v dispensing means connected thereto, an outlet passa for saiddispensing means which is norma y open, a valve for closing saidpassage, 'a manually movable plun er, means for ated means,

discontinuing the operation of said electricalsupporting a coin at theend 0 said plunger, a second plunger movable by said manually movableplunger and coin, means for supplying liquid to said container, 9. motorfor operating said means, an electric circuit, means for closing saidcircuit includin a set of contacts adapted to be closedby saifmanuallymovable plunger and a set of contacts adapted to be closed by saidsecond plunger,

means for holding said second plunger in position to close itscorresponding set of contacts, means operated when a certainamount ofliquid has been supplied to said container, and a connection betweensaid last mentioned means and said second plunger holding means forreleasing said second plunger and opening said circuit to stop saidmotor.

5. A liquid dispensing device having in combination, a container fromwhich liquid is dispensed, having a dispensing outlet, man- I uallymovable means and coin operated means for closing said outlet, anelectrically operated means for supplying liquid tosaid con tainer, acircuit closed by said manually movable means and coin operated means,when moved to close said outlet, for operatin said electrically operatedmeans, a latch for l1olding said coin operated means in position with.

said outlet closed and said circuit closed, means operated when acertain amount of liquid has been supplied to said container forreleasing said latch and discontinuing the operation of saidelectrically operated means.

6. A liquid dispensing device having in combination, a container fromwhich liquid is dispensed, having a dispensing outlet, manually movablemeans and coin operated means for closing said outlet, an electricallyoper ated means for supplying liquid to said con tainer, a circuitclosed by said manually movable means and' coin operated means, whenmoved to close said outlet, for operating said electrically operatedmeans, means for bolding said coin operated means in position withsaidoutlet closed and said circuit closed, and means responsive to thesupply of liquid to sa d container for releasing said coin operallowingsaid outlet to open, and

1y operated means.

'In testimony whereof I afiix m si ature.

LES W. DA&E JR.

